Instruction manuals

Didn't get much of a manual with the CD player; the Naim Nait 5i came with a huge wodge of a document that seemed to cover every variation of amplifier they made at the time and was a complete waste of tree. The ND5XS had a fairly comprehensive manual that I didn't bother to look at beyond a confirmatory glance, and the 272 that replaced it has a bare-bones guide that's more than enough, and a much more in-depth user guide downloadable as a PDF that also hasn't been needed.

There's no need to produce manuals anymore. A slip of paper in the box with the necessary legalese and basic operation should be enough. Any further info should be as a downloadable guide.

I would agree if the new Uniti guides were good enough, they are not. Hence the endless problems raised on the forum that a good manual or web guide could have dealt with. And there is no pdf to download. I hope the new streamers are better serviced in this respect by Naim.

ChrisR_EPL posted:

.....

There's no need to produce manuals anymore. A slip of paper in the box with the necessary legalese and basic operation should be enough. Any further info should be as a downloadable guide.

That's the problem - there is no downloadable PDF for the Uniti Atom/Star/Nova only a very difficult to search online 'FAQ' type guide which is quite frustrating as there are only short Q&A type answers and you cannot scroll through/browse the 'document' - it requires multiple clicks/browser back navigations to find things or to view multiple answers to a query.

Ah apologies then, the 272 guide as a PDF is v thorough - I'd have thought that was the norm now. 

ChrisR_EPL posted:

Ah apologies then, the 272 guide as a PDF is v thorough - I'd have thought that was the norm now. 

Yes, you'd assume it would be the norm - I don't need a paper manual if a good PDF is available even though I find a paper manual easier to thumb through for the correct section than any electronic guide.

I'd imagine it might even have been more expensive to produce the Q&A support  - I'd imagine it and the Uniti series are aimed at a less traditional customer demographic who don't want all the nitty gritty details in a conventional manual format, but just a quick Q&A - the ideal would be both formats to be honest.

I think that with the constant firmware upgrades and functionality changes associated with most modern consumer electronics products, paper manuals will soon be a thing of the past. My current camera, for instance, came with a fairly comprehensive paper manual, but has since had four supplementary (pdf) updates. Searchable  PDFs , which are updated periodically, are the way to go. I’d agree that the current solution for the new Uniti range is suboptimal - I’m assuming the new 555 will improve on this?

Redboxfile posted:

Why do Naim think it is a good move not to publish instruction manuals anymore? I am looking at replacing my original Uniti with either a Uniti Atom or Star and whilst I can look at the specifications, watch Naim set-up videos, and read reviews etc, they do not provide enough information. I like to do my homework and find it a very frustrating that no manuals are published to provide answers to my queries. Is it cost cutting or do Naim not think it is important for the end user to be able to get the best out of their expensive purchase. Or is the assumption that people do not read manuals anymore.

 

I tend to read user guides before I buy a product and I fully agree with your observations. I have criticized the lack of precise technical specifications and user guides for the most recent Naim products in this forum since the Uniti serie was announced. I find Naim's decision mildly insulting and a sign of lesser user support and care. My reaction is simply not to buy. There are good alternatives with excellent user manuals and precise technical specifications. Still, I find Naim's decision is very sad and another sign that the company isn't anymore what it used to be.

I am afraid I rather like a good paper manual.  I even have a small filing cabinet full of instruction manuals.  When I get a new car, the handbook lives on my bedside cabinet for several days and provides gently soporific bedtime reading.  How sad is that?

But, the other day I began to change my view when I bought a new cordless lawnmower that came with a fully bound handbook in 26 languages and running to over 670 pages!  Fitting it in the filing cabinet meant spending time ripping out most of the pages and I have now come round to the idea that downloadable files are the way to go for many products.  Indeed, I think the rather comprehensive hard copy quick start guide and the detailed online manual for the 272 do this rather well.  OTOH if I had spent over £4k on a Nova, I'd be pretty irritated to find there was not even a good downloadable guide available.

Roger

I'm glad that I'm not alone in wanting more than just a quick start guide. What I feel is needed is a downloadable PDF giving full details of the product purchased and those who wish to, can print it if required. It simply isn't good enough for Naim to expect their customers to watch youtube videos and trawl the internet to get queries answered that would normally be answered in a manual. How can you get the best from a product without a manual? I personally found out loads of information in my car manual that owners of the same model didn't know about because they hadn't bothered to read the manual. I've had contradicting information from both Naim themselves and their dealerships with regard to one of my questions regarding the uniti range.

nbpf posted:

Redboxfile posted:

Why do Naim think it is a good move not to publish instruction manuals anymore? I am looking at replacing my original Uniti with either a Uniti Atom or Star and whilst I can look at the specifications, watch Naim set-up videos, and read reviews etc, they do not provide enough information. I like to do my homework and find it a very frustrating that no manuals are published to provide answers to my queries. Is it cost cutting or do Naim not think it is important for the end user to be able to get the best out of their expensive purchase. Or is the assumption that people do not read manuals anymore.

 

I tend to read user guides before I buy a product and I fully agree with your observations. I have criticized the lack of precise technical specifications and user guides for the most recent Naim products in this forum since the Uniti serie was announced. I find Naim's decision mildly insulting and a sign of lesser user support and care. My reaction is simply not to buy. There are good alternatives with excellent user manuals and precise technical specifications. Still, I find Naim's decision is very sad and another sign that the company isn't anymore what it used to be.

Sadly I think you are right. It takes a long time to build a good reputation but it can be lost very quickly. End users who vote with their wallets are a powerful bunch!

Here another request for a decent manual ... downloadable is okay for me ... but not what is currently available for the new Uniti range ... maybe I’m old-fashioned 

Unfortunately, I have to agree that the 'Support' facility on the relevant Naim web pages is usually a frustrating experience. It is badly implemented, and a searchable PDF would be so much simpler. I do think that it is unacceptable to use paper copies these days (especially when they are in a dozen languages, and hidden behind endless pages of statutory safety information). I don't think it's a question of being old fashioned, it's just that the old PDFs worked pretty well, and the new support pages work very badly. Sorry!

I agree. This online support is frustrating. Hardly any decent answers ( mostly oneliners) to questions you might have.

fred47 posted:

I agree. This online support is frustrating. Hardly any decent answers ( mostly oneliners) to questions you might have.

I think most of the answers are there, it's just incredibly frustrating to navigate the thing!

The manuals are pretty worthless at best.  Unfortunately, here in the US, so are most of the dealers.  So unless you're pretty capable with electronics and computers, Naim is probably not the best choice for the average US audiophile.

sktn77a posted:

The manuals are pretty worthless at best.  Unfortunately, ...

What are manuals then at worst? Misleading, dangerous? I find good manuals very useful for deciding whether a device is worth buying or not. Thus, it was by reading the manual of the Uniti Serve that I realized that for me there was no point in buying it. At it was by reading the manual of the nDAC that I decided to buy one. I would not buy a device that comes with no manual as a matter of principle: if a company does not care I do not need to care too!  

Alley Cat posted:

ChrisR_EPL posted:

Ah apologies then, the 272 guide as a PDF is v thorough - I'd have thought that was the norm now. 

Yes, you'd assume it would be the norm - I don't need a paper manual if a good PDF is available even though I find a paper manual easier to thumb through for the correct section than any electronic guide.

I'd imagine it might even have been more expensive to produce the Q&A support  - I'd imagine it and the Uniti series are aimed at a less traditional customer demographic who don't want all the nitty gritty details in a conventional manual format, but just a quick Q&A - the ideal would be both formats to be honest.

Ironically, I find PDFs very much easier to use (as do the majority of the approximately 10% of the population who have a degree of dyslexia!)

If I get a product with a paper manual I'll always check to see if there's a downloadable PDF I can use instead.

In terms of the Q&A, converting that to a searchable PDF for download may be a partial answer for many people and a complete answer for some, achievable at very little expense.

100% for .pdf manuals.     I have my manuals stored with the unit box's ready for an eventual resale.  The 'working' manuals together with any other other manuals or papers of interest all live inside my laptop.

As Mike-B I have all my manuals Naim,Panasonic,Dyson etc etc stored in pdf format viewable on all my Apple devices everything stored in one place and so easy to find and use.

PDF is ok..the online manual for the UNITI nova sucks...

Hi all

feedback noted and appreciated as always. Overall the impact and feedback to the online systems has been overwelmingly positive and considerable usage has been seen. The vast majority of feedback we received was that customers didn’t want huge manuals in boxes.  But continuous feedback is a good thing so we will consider how we can improve

Trevor

Trevor Wilson posted:

Hi all

feedback noted and appreciated as always. Overall the impact and feedback to the online systems has been overwelmingly positive and considerable usage has been seen. The vast majority of feedback we received was that customers didn’t want huge manuals in boxes.  But continuous feedback is a good thing so we will consider how we can improve

Trevor

In this case improving should be very easy: just made detailed user guides available for download as .pdf files. This is what most manufacturers do. If you want to do more, offer printed copies of those user guides for a small fee. 

That would make everyone happy: the folks that want paperless boxes, those that want to know what they buy and those that want to have a printed copy of the manuals in their shelfs.  

Trevor Wilson posted:

Hi all

feedback noted and appreciated as always. Overall the impact and feedback to the online systems has been overwelmingly positive and considerable usage has been seen. The vast majority of feedback we received was that customers didn’t want huge manuals in boxes.  But continuous feedback is a good thing so we will consider how we can improve

Trevor

✨????????❤????❤RESPECT❤????❤????????✨ 

I feel happy in my heart,I shall explain why.!

◾I have only the last week seen Naim's MD Trevor Wilson,being into two threads and give respons,trying to help.
Tackled the issues that Naim customers have raised here on the forum.
In other words,been involved in trying to resolve any problems more quickly.

◾Richard Dane,..always quick to help,as well as bringing any problems that members take up here to the right instance with Naim.

◾Phil Harris of Naim,...an example that I never forget......
"6-8 months ago,a Friday at:15,30 wrote a member here on the forum about a problem with his streamer,..he can not play with it.!

Richard Dane replied in the thread at:16.00 that he had sent the question on to Phil Harris...who will contact the costumer on Monday...(It was still a late Friday afternoon.... "my comment").
At: 20.00,the same Friday-evening,the member writes here that now the streamer works again, he was very,very happy to be able to play music over the weekend.

He had been helped by Phil Harris an hour ago ????.
This on a late Friday-evening,..and definitely after the working hours,....absolutely incredible....RESPECT..!!!

I mean,..Phil Harris is of course employed by Naim,he does not own the company...and yet such dedication.

I have never heard of something like this from any other Hifi company,....here we talk about passion and customer service far,far beyond the ordinary. "

A Tribute to you three who been mentioned here,it is at least for me examples like this,that makes it feel special to be part of the Naim family.

With Respect...

/Peder

Trevor Wilson posted:

Hi all

feedback noted and appreciated as always. Overall the impact and feedback to the online systems has been overwelmingly positive and considerable usage has been seen. The vast majority of feedback we received was that customers didn’t want huge manuals in boxes.  But continuous feedback is a good thing so we will consider how we can improve

Trevor

I certainly accept that a paper manual in the box is wrong, but anybody who has tried navigating the online support pages on an iOS device is not going to be positive about it. Try it, it's a total car crash!

The "considerable usage" of the online help system is almost certainly due to people trying in vain to navigate the wretched thing to find something useful!

Another vote for PDF.